Starting with VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail 5.2, the Upgrade Planner introduces enhanced functionality that allows administrators to select specific target versions for individual VMware Cloud Foundation components during an upgrade. This capability, known as the Flexible BOM (Bill of Materials) upgrade model, provides much greater control compared to traditional full-stack upgrades.

Flexible BOM upgrades are especially useful when applying asynchronous (async) patches to address security vulnerabilities or critical bugs without requiring a complete platform upgrade. Administrators can independently upgrade components such as NSX, vCenter, or VxRail Manager, as long as compatibility and prerequisites are met. Broadcom’s official knowledge base article documents which components support independent patching, along with the supported VCF versions and dependencies.

For a practical walkthrough, see this example Flexible BOM upgrade:
https://davidring.ie/2025/10/03/vcf-on-vxrail-flexible-bom-upgrade/

VCF on VxRail Flexible BOM Releases

Reference: VCF on VxRail Release Notes

Notes:

• With VCF 5.2, these patches must be applied using the Flexible BOM upgrade in the product and cannot be installed using the Async Patch Tool. This table details VxRail Flexible BOM releases only.
• For NSX or vCenter Flexible BOM patches, please refer to the Broadcom Knowledge Base for supported versions and upgrade guidance.
• The Flexible BOM releases listed below are intended only for patching existing VCF on VxRail environments and do not support greenfield (new) VCF On VxRail deployments.